ABSTRACT
Sociology systematically attempts to see social life as clearly as possible, to understand its various dimensions and their interrelationships, and to do so without being swayed by personal hopes and fears. 1 This book has attempted to illustrate the possibilities inherent to sociology by focusing on a specific aspect of social life, the structure of stratification, explaining it on different levels (individual and structural), and summarizing the relevant research results. In this last chapter, it is time to reflect on some implications that follow from this orientation. Although the comments to follow will emphasize the study of social stratification, the topics are of general significance to all areas of sociological inquiry. The first issue is the problem of objectivity, because it is required if sociologists are to see the world clearly. The second is the problem of research methods, because they provide the key to understanding the dimensions of social life. The final issue is the paradoxical nature of sociological analyses, because this characteristic highlights people's hopes and fears about the future.
